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John W. Henry has said that Liverpool will not sell their star playersSteven Senne/AP

The new Liverpool owner has sought to play down fears that Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina could be sold in January.

But John W. Henry has not denied that the Spain players have escape clauses, both entered in their contracts this summer, that allow them to leave the Barclays Premier League club.

“We intend to build on the strength of the current squad, not undermine it,” Henry said. “And I can reassure our supporters that we have no intention of allowing the team to be weakened going forward.”

Kenny Huang, the Chinese sports investor who wanted to buy Liverpool, was served with a summons to appear in a Florida court as part of a $10 million (about £6.24 million) lawsuit. He is being sued by…